Tandem rotary expanding mill



Nov. 7, 1950 H. E. GRoss 2,528,651

TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL Filed Aug. 25, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov.7, 1950 H. E. @Ross TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL ve sheets-sheet 2 FiledAug. 25, 1948 Nov. 7, 1950 H. E. @Ross TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL 6Sheets-Sheet Z Filed Aug. 25, 194s fowidb: AMPM 66055,

Nov. 7, 1950 H. E. @Ross 2,528,651

TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL Filed` Aug. 25, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 4Flare- [Wei/dor: A44/@EY @9055,

Nov. 7, 1950 H. E. GRoss v 2,528,651

TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL.

Filed Aug. 25, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 7, 1950 H. E. GRoss 2,528,651

TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL Filed Aug. 25, 1948 6 Sheecs--Shee'k 6Patented Nov. 7, i950 TANDEM ROTARY EXPANDING MILL Harry E. Gross,Lorain, Ohio, assignor to National Tube Company, a corporation of NewJersey Application August 25, 1948, Serial No. 46,028

(Cl. Sil- 13) 2 Claims. l

This invention relates to tandem vertical disc type rotary pipe or tubeexpanding mills and to plug positioning means therefor.

Large diameter seamless, i. e., over 21/2 outside diameter, pipe'ismanufactured by expanding pierced shells in a rotary expanding mill. Thediameter of such pipe is limited by the expansion that can be given theshells in a single pass, Moreover, the minimum wall thickness andconcentricity of the pipe walls are limited by the necessity ofobtaining the expansion in a single pass through the mill. expandingpipe in a tandem rotary disc mill which overcomes the foregoingdifficulties without additional costs due to reheating and the like.Further, the pipe size range is greatly increased.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide atandem rotary mill for expanding pipe.

It is a further object to provide means for independently controllingthe position of the mandrel plugs in tandem disc mills.

It is another object to provide apparatus for making large diameter,light-wall seamless pipe in an efficient manner.

The foregoing and further objects will be apparent from the followingspecification, when read in conjunction with the attached drawings,wherein:

, Figure 1 is a plan view of a seamless tube mill embodying myinvention;

Figure 1a is a plan view of the mandrel reciprocating mechanism;

Figure 2 is a side elevation;

Figure 2a is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure la; Y

. gears l0, I6.

. g, I4 as it enters the rolls 4, 4' and released by the I have proposedL drums 38 and 40.

f; terior, individually-operable telescoped mandrel rods 24 and 26,respectively. These mandrel rods are carried by thrust blocks 28 and 30which can be moved toward and away from the mill on slideways 32 bycables 34 and 36 disposed on The drums are operable through suitablemagnetic friction clutches k4I driven by constant speed motors 42whereby the thrust blocks and the mandrels carried thereby can bepositioned and withdrawn from the metalworking position to clear theexpanded workpiece therefrom and to move the mandrel plugs intometal-working position after the workpiece has been cleared from themandrel bars and the millfdelivery trough. The inner bar is rotatablysupported within the outer bar by spider tion by means of air cylinders48.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan View of the manl drel position indicatingarrangement;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the latch position indicatingmeans;

Figure 6 is a view, partially in section, taken on line VI-VI of Figure5;

Figure '7 is an elevational view of the mill control station;

Figure 8 vis an end view of the mill control station including aschematic view of the mandrel and latch position indicating devices; and

Figure 9 is a wiring diagram.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates amill housing containing forward and rearward pairs of rotary expandingrolls 4, 4 and 6, 6. 4, 4 are driven by synchronous motors 8, 8'. The

Rolls 6, 6 and r motors 8, 8 are geared directly to the shafts of ringsso that it can rotate with or independently of the outer bar. The thrustblocks. are held in their metal-working position by latches 46 which arelifted from or dropped into working posi- The latches 46 can be adjustedtoward and away from the mill to control the position of the plugs andthereby x the space between the plug and metalworking rolls, which spacedetermines the thickness of the workpiece. Such adjustment results fromthe latches 46 being rotatably mounted on eccentric cams 58 keyed to thecenter of shafts 52 journaled in the thrust bearing housing 5l, wherebyrotation of the shafts 52 moves the latches 46 toward or away from therolls. Mounted on the inner ends of shafts 52 are disc members 54carrying contact arms 58. Contact points 56 are mounted on the innerfaces'of arcuate frames 5l. Each of the contact points 56 isindividually connected to aV corresponding light on a control board, tobe hereinafter described, situated before the mill operator. Therelative position of the shafts 52 and cams 50 is indicated to the milloperator bythe lights on the control board which are actuated Ywhen theApoints 56 by rotation of the shafts 52.

drel plugs approach the metal-working position.

This actuating mechanismV comprises plunger members 62 and 64 havingconical heads 66 and 68 which engage conical recesses in abutments 10and 12 extending from the thrust blocks 28 and 30. disposed in chambers'I4 which contain mercury. The chambers |4 are, in,turn, suitablyconnected to vertical columns 16 which receive the mercury displaced-:from the chambers 14. Float actuated# type contactors 18. are connectedto the lmer- -c`ury column, which.' indicators slide up and down;scales180f. VThese scales have a number of contacts=82thereonwhichareindividually connected tocorresponding` indicator lightsl on the milloperators control panel.

v-ligures 'T-and 8/ show the signal and control equipment in the mill-operators pulpit. Reference numeral |02 indicates an arcuate frame'which supports automaticV target lights B4 lindividuallyv.connected-tocontacts S2. A shaft B6 is 4rotatablymounted on supports 8l below theframe |02. A target arml 88 having a top light -fissecuredto the outerend of shaft v85. Also mounted on-'shaftlt` is a shorter arm 92 havingaitop-Ilightdvaiixed to the end thereof and adapted to -be adjustably lseparated from arm 38 by\meansof avernier scale extension 96 andjamnut98. Betweenframe |02 andvshaft-86 is another-arcuate lframe l|04supporting indicating lights -.|'which are individuallyconnected tocontactpoints-'d-on the inner faces of arcuate frames 5-7; Mountedon theend ofshaft 36V is abrake disc |06. A hand-wheel'bracket |08, formanipulating'the-position of `armil, is mounted on-the-brake1disc H36. AV-shaped brake shoe "|=|0;-forcontacting brake 406, is mounted lin thetop-of Vacoil spring jack |-2, and servesas a lo'ek or latchvtohold-target arm-SS-in Xed position. T-hebrake shoe is-released fromythevbrake-disc bymeanseof'a jackpedal ||4. f Y

-Figure9is-a-schematio wiring diagram of the aboveA described;micrometer control mechanisms 'ioreonellatch Sincefthecontrol mechanismsare identical-lfor-the tandem set-up only one is shown. The'contactpoints-BZ-onscales Y8) areshown individually connected to Vcorrespondingtarget lightsI 84 vby means ofl a multi-conductor ycable H9'.lIndicating lights |00 are shown individually connected tocorrespondingcontact points 55- on arcuate-'frame'l bymeans of -amulti-conductor cablel H8.

In operation, one operator moves the thrust blockslZB-and -301'Withmandrel plugs 20l and 22 snugintotherrevolving"expandingV roll passes bymeans oflconventional-mill electricffriction controllers. IWhenl theplugs and V22 make contactwith-the rotaryexpanding rolls'4', 4 and 6,Bf', the extruded mercury column 16 moves the float-actuated contactors18 upwardly. This causescontactors '18*to rub the contact points 8-2 andthe k,automatic target lights 84- to be flashed; Atthe topposition ofthe indicator a correspondinglight B4 willbe lighted in front ofa`second operator; who then places his foot on ,ja-cl:v pedal '-||'4fand manipulatesY hand-Wheel The forward ends of the plungers are turn,flash a corresponding light |00.

`indicating light 4 bracket |08 to move target arm 88 until its toplight 90 is in position opposite the lighted automatic target light 84.He then lifts his foot from pedal ||4 and the coil spring jack ||2raises the V-shaped member |I0 to contact the brake disc '|06 which thus:holds thetarget arm 88 set up in fixed position. 'He then starts motors60 to rotate shafts 52. As the shaft 52 rotates, the contact arm 58,carried by disc 54, rubs over the contact points 5'5, which each, in Inthis case the top light 94 on the end of arm 92, which is in xedposition, is the target light and rotation of shaft 52k is allowed tocontinue until the |00 opposite top light 94 is flashed on. The secondoperator then stops the rotation of shafts 52 and actuates air cylinders48 which drop the latches 46 into Working position. The: mill .isf thenin properxoperatingzposition. i

Allowance, of course, must be made for pipe wall thickness between vtherotary expanding rollsl 4,l4 and .-6, 6' and plugs 20 and Y22Y in theroll passes. This is done by spreading arm 92 backward from the targetarm B8 to any spaceY or 'wall thickness required. The Vernier .scaleextension i90, whichis an integral part'l of arm 9.2, andagjamnut98provide a. quick method for any such space orfgauge adjustment. Thisad iustment is usually madeiby thek mill foreman before operationsiarebegun.

While loneiembodiment of..my inventionhas beenshown andv described itwill be apparent that other adaptations and modications may 'be madewithout departing from the scope of the following-claims- 1. Apparatusfor helically rolling tubulanwo-rkpieces comprising. `forwardandxrearward pairs ofcrossfrolls, telescoped.mandrelabars constructedand arranged tofhold :mandrel plugs in metalworking position/betweeneach of said pairsof rolls and` means for independently controlling andadjusting said mandrel .bars to determine the spacing of. the mandrellugs'from said cro-ss rolls. Y. Y

2; VApparatus'forhelicallyrolling tubular workpieces comprising forwardand rearward: pairsof crossr'rolls having spindles, saidrolls defining atwo-stage working pass, .the forward and rearward rollson each'isideiofsaidipass being in unitary housings, motors connected tothe spindlesofthe rearward rolls, gear means connectingV the REFERENCES CITED V'Thefollowing referencesare of record-inthe leof-thislpatent: Y

" UNITED STATES vPATENTS Number Name Date` 1,190,698 Abramsen July 11,-19116 2,025,439'` ABrownstein Dec. 24', 193'5 2,084,330 `lindlater June22, 1937 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,528,651 November 7, 1950HARRY E. GROSS It hereby certied that error appears in the printedspecification of the above numbered patent requiring correction asfollovvsz/V Column 4, line 45, for the Word lugs read plugs;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, sothat the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oiice.Signed and sealed this 9th day of January, A. D. 1951.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommz'ssz'oner of Patents.

